Fruit cleaning machine



Nov. 12., 1940. v c. A. wlLLARD FRUIT CLEANING MACHINE Filed Aug. 25, 1937 6 Sheets-Sheet l lll ll .Nimm

ATTORNEY Nov. 12, 1940. c. A. WILLARD FRUIT CLEANING MACHINE Filed Aug. 25, 1937 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Zar/e5 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Nov. l2, 1940. c. A. WILLARD FRUIT CLEANING MACHINE Filed Aug. 25, 1937 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY Nav. 12, 1940. c. A. WILLARD 2,221,159

FRUIT CLEANING MACHINE Filed Aug. 25, 1937 ,6 Sheets-Sheet 4 t ATTORNEYS c. A. wlLLARD l- 2,221,159

FRUIT CLEANING MACHINE Nov. 12, 1940;

Filed Aug. 23, 1937 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR ATTORN EYS FRUIT CLEANING MACHINE Filed Aug. 25, 1937 I 6 Shee'cs-Sheekl 6 Car/es .M7/arc( INVENToR ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 12, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT 0F ICE FRUIT CLEANING MACHINE Charles A. Willard, Orlando, Fla., assignor to Fruit Treating Corporation, Orlando, Fla., a corporation of Florida Application August 23, 1937, Serial No. 160,526

Y3 Claims( The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus to which fruit, after picking, may be delivered at a moderate rate and subjected .to an agitating and wiping action whereby all refuse.

With this object in view, the invention `consists in a construction and combination of parts of which a preferred embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawings but to which the invention is not to be restricted. Practical application may dictate certain changes or alternations and the right is claimed to make any which fall within the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view. Y

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the plane indicated by the line 4 4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an elevational view at the delivery end but showing the reverse side from that illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the frame-work below the bed of the machine.

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 5 but Ashowing a modified form of actuating thebodily movable cleaning members.

Figure 8 is a detail perspective view of one of the movable brush posts.

Thefruit cleaning function is carried out by the invention by delivering fruit at one end of a bed composed of a series of rotaryv brushes III and II shielded at the lends by guard plates I2. They brushes ID rotate on fixed axeswhile the brushes II which are arranged in intercurrent relation with the brushes I0 rotate on axes which constantly move up and down in vertical planes, so that the bed thereby is in the form of successive ridges and hollows of which the brushes I Il at one instant are at the peaks of the ridges and at the next instant at the bottom of the hollows because of the fact that axes of the rolls II rise (Cl. 14S-202) above the plane of the axes of thev rolls I0 andA drop below the axes of such rolls. f

The bed of brushes is carried by ,the side' rails I3 supported o'n standards I4 connected at'their vends by cross rails I 5. The side rails I3 are pref- .erably in the form of channels of which the flanges are directed outwardly and the guard plates I2 which extend below the plane of the brushes are secured to the side. rails as by rivets I6.

The brushes IIJ are carried by shafts I'Iand these shafts are journaled in bearings I8 on opposite sides of the machine, the bearings being carried by bracket members I9 which are secured to the rails I3 by mean-s of bolts 2li.v While the brackets lil Vfunction as supports for the bear-l ings I8, the latter are connected, as 'by means of rivets or other fasteners 2|, with the guard plates I2.

At one side of the machine, the shafts Il are@ extended far enough to receive the sprockets 22 over which is trained the chain 23 by means of which rotary movement' is imparted to the brushes I0. The upper run of the chain only is in engagement with all of the sprockets 22 and' is kept in such engagement by means of shoes 24 which are mounted at the upper ends of the brackets I9 where they overhang the chain just above the sprockets. 1

-The lower run of the chain engages the sprockets at the undersides at the intake end of the machine and lies upon a long shoe 25 supported by small brackets 26 of which one is carried by each of the main brackets I9 spanned by the shoe 25. Beyond the shoe I3, the lower` run of the chain passes over an idle sprocket 21 mounted on one of the brackets I9 and thence around a sprocket 28 mounted on the main shaft 29, the latter being journaled in bearings 30 on two of the standards or legs I4.

A drive pulley 3I constitutes the means by which rotation may be'imparted to the shaft 29 and rotation of the latter will obviously, by reason of the chain drive just described, eiect rotation of the brush shafts I'I and with them the brushes I0. e

Rounded shield members 32 are disposed at the end of each brush to rotate with the latter, these shield members being bell shaped to have their edges lieclose to the guard plates I2, and they: thus provide means to preclude fruit being caught between the ends 'of the brushes and the guard plates.

The brushes II which, besides rotating, are reciprocated in `vertical planesy have their shafts 33 journaled in bearings 34 which are carried by the posts 35, the terminal brush IIa having its bearings carried by posts 35a. Since .the rolls II reciprocate, clearance slots 35 are formed in the guard plates I2 for the shafts 33 and the shafts at one side of the machine are extended so that they may receive the driving sprockets 31, these being disposed on the opposite side of the machine from the sprockets 22. Over the sprockets 31 is trained a drive chain 58, this chain being also trained over the sprocket 35 and idle n sprocket 48, the former -sprocket being carried by the shaft 29 at the end remote from the sprocket 28 and the latter being rotatably mounted on one of the side rails I3. Shoes 4I carried at the upper ends of .the posts 35 `and 35a are mounted on brackets 42 secured in any appropriate manner to certain of the bearings 34 and these shoes overhang the chain 38 and keep its upper run in engagement with the sprockets 31.

The posts 35 and 35a, in order to secure the vertical reciprocatory movement of the brushes II, are mounted in slide bearings 43 and all of the posts on each side of the machine are interconnected by a tie bar 44, the connections between the posts and the tie bars being rigid so that the whole system 0f posts will move as one unit. The tie bar 44 is preferably angular to have its horizontal flange engaged by eccentrics 45 of which there are two on each side of the machine positioned adjacent the ends of each tie bar 44. The eccentrics are synchronized so that the tie bars in their vertical movement are always horizontally disposed. Thus the sever'al brushes II, except the terminal brush, lie always in a common plane despite their up and down movement.

The eccentrics 45 are arranged in pairs of which the units are mounted at the extremitiesof the shafts 45, the latter being journaled in bearings 41 mounted on the framework 48 carried by and connecting the standards I4. The shafts 46 being remotely positioned, are interconnected for simultaneous operation by a shaft 49 and'miter gear couples 50, the shafts 46 being driven from the shaft 48 to which movement is imparted from a motor 5I carried on the framework 48 and operatively connected with a shaft 52 by means of a drive chain 53. A chain belt 54 operatively connects the shaft 52 with a shaft 55 and the latter, by means of a chain 55, is operatively connected with the shaft 49.

While the eccentrics 45 on the remote shafts 45 are timed to have their corresponding points always in the same horizontal plane, they are nevertheless angularly displaced so that any tendency of one pair of eccentrics to move the tie bar in one direction is offset by the other pair of eccentrics to move it in the opposite direction. Thus, in the raising and lowering of the brushes I I, there is no tendency to move them laterally with consequent side wear on the bearings 43 that would result were the eccentrics not displaced as shown. A

The terminal brush II a, while moved in timed relation with the brushes II, is nevertheless operated out of phase with the latter. That is, it is independently operated by reason of having its standards 35a actuated by eccentrics 51, the standards 35a being provided with rollers 58 at their lower ends which traverse the peripheries of the eccentrics 51. The eccentrics 51 are carried upon and rotated by a shaft 59 journaled in bearings 60 on' the framework 48 and movement is imparted to this shaft through the instrumentality of a chain 6I which operatively connects it with one of the shafts 46. By having the brush IIa independently reciprocated, its degree of vertical movement can be varied by changing the eccentrics 51 for others of a different throw and the rate of reciprocation of the brushes may be changed by varying the ratio of rotation obtaining between the shafts 46 and 59. The terminal brush may thus be used as a means to retain the fruit on the bed at the discharge end to havemore or less an accumulation of the same thereat before discharge. This constitutes a precautionary step in the cleaning operation before iinal discharge of the fruit.

In the modification shown in Figure 7, reciprocation4 of the brushes I I and I Ia is effected from above the plane of the brushes, as by providing a superficial framework 52 on which the shafts 49a, 46a and 59a are rotatably mounted, these shafts functioning in the same way as their equivalents mounted on the frame 46, the chain 6in operatively connecting the shafts 46a and 59a being the equivalent of the chain 6I. The eccentrics 46a and 51a, however, are surrounded by straps 63, these straps having the connecting rods 54 of which that associated with the eccentric 51a is connected by means of a wrist pin 55 with the posts 35a and that associated with the eccentric 45a similarly connected by means of a wrist pin with one of the posts 35. All of theposts 35 are interconnected by the tie bars 44 as in the hereinbefore described construction but the vertical movement of the assemblage of brushes is secured by the eccentrics imparting a pull to certain of the posts 35 as distinguished from a lift given to them by wiping movement on the tie bars 44.

The bed of brushes has the separate brushes so closely related that they are practically tangent when in a common plane and when fruit is deposited for cleaning and the brushes set in rotation with the brushes I'I reciprocated as above described, the fruit is tumbled from one brush to the other and at the same time is rotated promiscuously so that all points are brought into contact with the brushes and it is thereby eiectively cleaned. The brushes II rising above and dropping below the plane of the brushes I!) results in the fruit passing over a series of rises and down through a series of hollows. I'he direction of rotation of the brushes on their own aXes is preferably right-handedly as viewed in Figure 1, so that the tendency of the initial brush I8 is to pass the fruit toward the next adjacent lbrush II against which it will be rotated until that brush drops below the plane of the brush I0, when the fruit will drop onto the brush II and thereby be advanced toward the next brush I8 onto which it will pass when the rst brush I I has risen above the plane of the second brush I0. Thus the fruit will be passed along the whole series of brushes until it reaches the final brush IIa over which it will be discharged into appropriate receiving means after that brush shall have dropped to the plane of its adjacent brush IIJ. The bodily movement of the brush IIa is from the plane of the brushes I8 to a point above said brushes, the brush I Ia never dropping below the plane of the brushes I0. Its out of phase movement with respect to the brushes II provides for retarding the discharge of the fruit at the discharge end until, as stated above, there shall be more or less an accumulation of the same andthe nal, additional and precautionary wiping prior to discharge.

Thev invention having been described, what is claimed as new and useful is:

1. A fruit treating machine comprising a bed of rotary brushes of which alternate brushes turn on xed axes and intervening brushes on vertically movable axes, means for rotating all of said brushes, means for bodily reciprocating the said intervening brushes laterally of their axes, a terminal brush bodily movable in timed relation to the movable brushes but out of phase with the latter, means to vertically adjust said terminal brush and operative connections between said latter brush and said reciprocating means.

2. A fruit treating machine comprising a bed of rotary brushes of which alternate brushes turn on fixed axes, vertically reciprocal posts on which the intervening brushes are mounted for bodily movement laterally of their axes from points below to points above the plane of the remaining brushes, tie bars connecting said posts, eccentrics engaging said tie bars, means for rotating all of the brushes, means for rotating said eccentrics, a terminal brush bodily movable in timed relation to the intervening brushes but out of phase with the latter, means to vertically adjust said terminal brush and operative connections between said latter brush and said reciprocating means.

3. A fruit treating machine comprising a frame having side members, a plurality of brushes rotatably mounted on xed supports attached to said side members, the axes of said brushes being parallel and in substantially the same plane, a plurality of brushes interposed between the first brushes, said interposed brushes being mounted upon vertically movable supports attached to opposite sides of the frame with their axes ,in substantially the same plane, the circumferences of successive brushes being spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of the fruit being treated, means for rotating all of the brushes in the same direction, means for reciprocating said movable supports a sufficient extent to move the fruit from one brush to the other transversely of their axes, whereby alternate intervening brushes are bodily reciprocated from points below to points above the plane 0f the remaining brushes, a terminal brush bodily movable in timed relation to the intervening brushes but out of phase with the latter, means to vertically adjust said terminal brush and operative connections between said latter brush and said reciprocating means.

CHARLES A. WILLARD. 

